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humor

·June 5, 2025·4 min read

Can AI Be Funny? Yes, But Not Funnier Than a Human

A new study shows that AI can create internet memes rated as funny and shareable as those made by humans—but the best jokes still come from people. Researchers compared memes made by humans, AI, and human-AI teams, using classic templates like Doge and Futurama Fry.

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·April 5, 2025·4 min read

The Subtle Power of Self-Deprecating Humor

Self-deprecating humor, when used thoughtfully, can help people regulate emotions, build trust, and foster connection—especially in therapeutic settings. Far from being purely negative, this type of humor signals humility, self-awareness, and confidence.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·January 10, 2024·4 min read

Laugh Lines: Humor Differences Between Men and Women Revealed

A new study analyzing print cartoons from 1930-2010 reveals intriguing gender differences in humor preferences. Men tend to favor visual jokes, while women prefer humor involving politics or close relationships.

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·November 11, 2023·5 min read

Brain’s Laughter Circuit: Unraveling Humor’s Neural Pathways

Recent neuroimaging research has delineated the distinct brain processes involved in understanding and enjoying humor. The study demonstrates the involvement of the dorsal striatum (DS) in humor comprehension and the ventral striatum (VS) in humor appreciation.

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·July 31, 2023·4 min read

Can Robots Crack a Joke? The Limits of AI’s Humor Understanding

While artificial intelligence can now generate jokes, a new study suggests it lacks understanding of what makes them funny. In a recent experiment, AI models and humans were tested on tasks involving New Yorker magazine’s Cartoon Caption Contest entries.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 21, 2023·3 min read

Laughter as Medicine: Humor Therapy Reduces Depression and Anxiety Symptoms

Humor therapy might alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. The comprehensive study comprised 29 diverse studies from nine countries, involving 2,964 participants with depression, anxiety, or both.

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·May 18, 2023·6 min read

Comedy and Cognition: Unraveling Humor’s Neural Nook

Researchers are studying humor's neural substrates, utilizing physical comedy clips from Charlie Chaplin. The researchers observed brain activity of epileptic patients, while they watched Chaplin's comedic scenes, using intracerebral electrophysiological recordings to capture high precision data.

This shows a mom and her teenage daughter laughing

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 12, 2022·3 min read

A Link Between Humor and Body Image

Women who use positive humor to describe themselves have a more positive view of their body image than those who use self-deprecating humor. Those who have negative body image and use self-defeating humor are more likely to have worse eating habits.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·September 17, 2022·5 min read

Sharing a Laugh: Scientists Teach a Robot When to Have a Sense of Humor

Researchers have designed a shared-laughter AI system that responds to human laughter in order to build a sense of empathy into dialogue.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 18, 2021·4 min read

Study Captures Humor’s Earliest Emergence in Young Children

By two months, 50% of infants begin to appreciate humor, researchers report. 50% of infants being to produce humor at 11 months. Children under one appreciate auditory, physical, and visual humor, including tickling, funny voices, and funny faces. Two-year-olds appreciate humor based on language development.